Schedule Reliable Backups for ONLYOFFICE Workspace

For a self-hosted ONLYOFFICE Workspace portal, enable scheduled copies in the Control Panel under Common Settings > Backup > Automatic backup, choose a destination, set a schedule and retention limit, then save. ONLYOFFICE Workspace Cloud uses a similar control in Settings > Data Management > Backup, but automatic backup is available only on plans that include it. A saved schedule is only the start: confirm that an archive reaches the destination and keep a recovery copy separate from the portal.

This walkthrough focuses on the built-in automatic backup feature documented for ONLYOFFICE Workspace. Menu wording and available destinations can vary by deployment and connected integrations. For the current product steps, see ONLYOFFICE’s Control Panel backup and restore instructions.

Before you turn on automatic backup

A backup is a restorable archive of portal data. In the self-hosted Control Panel, the Mail Server may need additional access settings for Mail files; consult ONLYOFFICE’s separate Backup Mail data instructions for your deployment. The linked Mail procedure explicitly says it does not apply to Windows. Retention is how many backup copies the system keeps before removing older ones. Choose settings with both recovery and storage capacity in mind.

• Check your version and access. For a server installation, sign in with an administrator account and confirm you can open the Control Panel. In the cloud edition, verify that your pricing plan includes automatic backup.
• Prepare a destination. The Control Panel supports the Documents module and supported third-party storage connected to Documents, including services such as Google Drive and WebDAV. A third-party account must be connected, shared, and placed in Common Documents before it can be selected. Temporary storage is for manual backups and is not an automatic-backup destination.
• Decide whether Mail belongs in the archive. Select “Include Mail in backup” when the portal’s Mail data must be recoverable. ONLYOFFICE warns that if Mail is omitted, that data will be lost after a restore and mail accounts must be connected again.
• Plan for sensitive data. ONLYOFFICE notes that when encryption is enabled, a newly created backup archive contains decrypted files; files are encrypted again on disk after restoration. Restrict access to the destination and protect any downloaded archive.

Set the destination and schedule

1. Open the Backup page. In a self-hosted portal, sign in, open the Control Panel, then choose Common Settings > Backup. In Workspace Cloud, open Settings, select Data Management, then Backup. Cloud navigation and options are described in the official cloud backup and restore guide.
2. Enable Automatic backup. Turn on the control in the Automatic backup section. If the option is missing or disabled, check your Cloud plan or confirm that you are in the Workspace Control Panel rather than another ONLYOFFICE product’s settings.
3. Choose where copies will be stored. Select a connected destination from the available storage choices. If you use a third-party service, make sure it is connected to Documents and available in Common Documents first. Automatic backup does not offer Temporary storage.
4. Choose Mail coverage. Select “Include Mail in backup” if Mail data should be included. Leaving the box clear changes what can be recovered, so record that decision for anyone responsible for restoring the portal.
5. Set frequency and time. Choose daily, weekly, or monthly and enter the corresponding time, day of the week, or day of the month. Schedule backups for a period when portal activity is low if that suits your team, and choose a time zone your administrators understand. The documentation lists these schedule choices but does not specify one universal best time.
6. Set the maximum copies and save. Choose a retention value from 1 to 30, then click Save. When the limit is reached, older copies are removed automatically, so a very small limit may leave fewer recovery points than your policy requires.

Choose storage and retention that support recovery

Saving archives inside the portal’s own Documents storage is straightforward, but it consumes portal storage. It can also leave the archive exposed to the same storage or server incident as the live portal. For stronger recovery, consider a connected third-party destination that your team can access independently, subject to your organization’s security and retention rules. This is an operational recommendation, not a guarantee that any particular provider is suitable for every deployment.

Retention is a count, not a time period. For example, keeping four weekly copies gives you four scheduled recovery points; it does not guarantee a full month of history if a schedule is changed or a run fails. Estimate archive size and available destination capacity before choosing the maximum. The Control Panel documentation says the maximum can be set from 1 to 30 copies; it does not promise a specific archive size or completion time.

Verify the first backup and avoid common mistakes

After saving, return to the Automatic backup section and confirm that the feature remains enabled and that the destination, Mail choice, schedule, and maximum-copy count match your plan. Then inspect the selected destination after the first scheduled run. The Control Panel guide says completed backups are stored as .tar.gz files, with a name in the form portal-name_date_time.tar.gz. A schedule visible on screen does not by itself prove that an archive was created.

If the file is absent, check whether the chosen storage is still connected and writable, whether the next scheduled time has passed, and whether the archive may have been saved in a different selected folder. Do not “fix” this by lowering permissions broadly or storing credentials in an exposed location; use the service’s supported connection settings and administrator permissions.

For higher confidence, perform a controlled restore test using the official restore procedure in a suitable test environment, rather than overwriting a live portal. A backup has practical value only if your team can locate it and restore the data it needs. Also note two limits in the Control Panel guide: the license data is not included, so the license file must be uploaded again after restoration; and a Mail backup requires the documented Mail Server configuration and access when that component is external to the portal.

Final check: the feature is enabled, the destination is reachable, the Mail choice is deliberate, the schedule and retention are saved, and a newly created archive is visible at the destination. Keep at least one recovery copy outside the portal’s primary storage when your recovery plan requires protection from a portal-wide incident.